Highly Commended: Echium wildpretii subsp. wildpretii by Juan Luis Castillo (Spain) - one of the first drawings made using digital media to be entered in the competition

Feedback from the Judges​

Far beyond the pure technical drawing required to support botanical research, these exquisite works embody the creative and innovative potential of contemporary scientific botanical illustration. Judges

It's always interesting to hear what Judges think about entries and one of the delights of the botanical art world is at the top level, it's not unusual to get feedback.

Key points made by the judges are summarised below

Scope and breadth of the artwork

work was submitted in a variety of media - pencil, ink wash, pen and ink, nib and ink, and (for the first time) digital media [see an excellent example above of a drawing made using digital media - drawn by Juan Luis Castillo (Spain)]

the subjects chosen were complex

the diversity in both style and media made critical comparison very challenging

these included stunning examples of scientific clarity, superb penmanship and creative flair. ​

Areas needing more work

Artists need to think more about the impact on rendering when a drawing is reduced for publication e.g. elements of some drawings rendered well at full-size, but were too pale upon reduction; other elements would block-in as a result of details being drawn too dark.

Information was unclear when elements overlapped and obscured important information from view;

​The Margaret Flockton Award is for Excellence in Contemporary Scientific Botanical Illustration - and entries for the 2017 Award open and close very soon.

Some consider it the premier award for strict botanical illustration for reproduction in scientific journals. A lot of the people who enter are professional botanical illustrators working for or with botanical gardens all over the world.

It's also a valuable Award given that

the first prize is AUS$5,000 and

the second prize is AUS$2,000.

To participate....

Illustrators from around the world submit scientifically accurate drawings that accompany the published taxonomic description of the plant, clearly highlighting all of the distinctive features of the species. Original taxonomic illustrations are highly detailed black and white drawings primarily undertaken in pen and ink, pencil or digitally rendered.

Call for Entries: Margaret Flockton Award 2017

Works must have been produced after February 2015 - but there has been an important change for the 2017 Award.....

Changes to note: 2017 Margaret Flockton Award and ExhibitionFrom 2017 all illustrations and paperwork must be submitted digitally. ​Original artworks and paperwork sent via the postal system will no longer be accepted.

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